Category: Platformer

The original Uncharted was, I believe, the very first game I bought for my PS3. The PS3’s launch was infamous for its lack of quality titles at the beginning (at least games you couldn’t get on the XBox as well), and this was the big ticket item to hold me over as I waited for Metal Gear Solid 4 to come out (the reason I bought a PS3 in the first place). It was a fun game. It was gorgeous and it allowed me to live out my childhood fantasy of being Indiana Jones (except with a different name and new friends), but the kill fest of endless waves of enemies got old as did the sloppy combat mechanics. However, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves remains one of my top games of this console generation. It obliterated the line between game and movie like nothing before it, and it never sacrificed fun to do so. That said, my expectations for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception were understandably high which is why it’s sad to say that in several key ways, the game is a step back for Sony’s premier franchise.

Unlike my Mass Effect 2 review (which required an obscene amount of context for newcomers to the story), the Uncharted games are fairly stand-alone. Nathan Drake is a world-scouring adventurer/treasure hunter on the look for the next big prize, and his best friend and mentor, Victor Sullivan, is never far behind. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception delves into Nate’s history as we embark on the quest that got him in the adventuring business in the first place, the quest to find the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands” which was how Nate and Sully met in the first place. Now, they’re up against an old nemesis, Katherine Marlowe, to beat her to finding this fabled city in the middle of the desert.

For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Uncharted 3 is the same mix of Tomb Raider style platforming and puzzle solving mixed with third-person shooting galleries that it’s always been. Broken up into chapters like they’re scenes from a movie (and let’s face it, the game is just an 8 hour movie that you happen to be playing), you take Nate and his various companions through one intricately designed set piece after another in search for the Atlantis of the Sands. Whether it’s an epic bar brawl to start things out, a harried escape from a burning 15th century French chateau, or a shoot-out on horseback in the middle of the desert, Uncharted 3 finds an endless supply of action-fueled sequences to get your blood flowing as you bring yourself closer to discover the secret of “Iram of the Desert.”

The series is considered one of the industry standard-bearers for graphical fidelity and Uncharted 3 is even more gorgeous than its predecessors. Though no game on this current console generation (and I doubt the next’s either) will pass the so-called “uncanny valley,” this game’s facial animations manage to nearly match L.A. Noire without making as many concessions in other graphical areas that game did. The environments are stunning which is par for the course for the series. What makes it impressive though is how the game often leaves its comfort zone which are usually lush jungles and forests and crypts. Those places make appearances, but Uncharted 3 has a much more urban feel (as well as desert) and it arguably sets a new bar for how to capture the look and feel of cities. This is without even getting into the huge strides forward the game made in movement animations (although ultimately, it did too well there and sacrificed gameplay to look better).

For the first time in series history, I actually think I’ll remember the story details of this game six months now. As much as I loved the first two games, I often felt like the stories were just excuses to have the player do incredible things. Instead, Uncharted 3 has a real emotional resonance. The characters grow in unexpected ways, and it usually feels like the gameplay and story are servicing each other equally (rather than one part taking over as is the case for most games). Add in that the game sets a new high-water mark for insane things that it has you do, and you’d have had a recipe for one of the greatest games of all time if it just played a little better.

Because sadly, the gunplay in this game is not up to snuff. The platforming is as great as always (although at times, it’s painfully obvious how you’re supposed to proceed) and although the game doesn’t have as many puzzles as I’ve come to expect from the franchise, the ones that are there are top-tier (especially a truly devious one involving casting a shadow on a wall to finish a mural). Unfortunately, the gunplay is more stiff than Keanu Reeves’ acting. There are newer, more realistic motion animations for Nate this time around which look astounding, but the gun reticle doesn’t move nearly as quickly as it should (and you have zero aiming assist. if you’re off by a centimeter, you miss). This results in far too many deaths that I felt were caused not by my lack of skill at the game but simply because it was throwing too many enemies at you and not giving you the proper tools to kill them efficiently.

The game has a multiplayer component, but I didn’t play any of it so I can’t comment on its quality. I’m glad it’s there though because no matter how phenomenal the eight hours in your game are, $60 remains a steep price to ask for a game with limited replay value in terms of its single-player campaign. Like the rest of the series, Uncharted 3 is an essentially linear experience with some variation here and there on how you attack the platforming or the combat scenarios. Still, if you get can past the less than commendable shooting, Uncharted 3 stands as one of the definitive cinematic game experiences of this console generation, and I can only imagine what Naughty Dog will be able to accomplish in the next console cycle.